(A/N: Apologies for taking THIS LONG for the new chapter. The fact that this is the single longest BR chapter and should hopefully make up for it a little. Faust/Kaito was easy enough to write, but dear god I had way too much trouble with one Achan scene in particular, and so I hope you all enjoy it. As usual, reading and reviewing is appreciated. I cannot thank Comedy of Circumstances/Aea enough for his help this chapter and the contribution of Tacey Edgeworth from the days when we were both wild, young, and playing a very silly RP out on a forum far, far away. My condolences to anyone who died from the suspense.)

Yu-Gi-Oh!: Burning Red

Chapter Ten: Lion in Hell? "I'll Show you my New Self!"

(blood)

Kaito could feel it pulsing through his body, filling him with strength. Every moment he breathed in, a charge of energy washed through him, stirring his-

[fear]

-excitement. He had forgotten how much he had enjoyed this sensation until he had been deprived of it, if even for a short time. His blood was not simply a fluid that ran through his body, it was full of life, and it burned like fire. Even in the middle of the cage, his shirt lying on the floor beside him and a shock collar clamped to his neck, he knew that this moment, this second, he was experiencing the feeling he lived for. And no matter who his opponent was, as long as he felt the way he did now, there was no way he could ever-

[See my own failures]

Lose.

The Lion of the East gripped the top card of his deck. "So, Shiro, challenger takes first move, right! My turn, draw!"

They were there- his cards. Six cards to begin this duel with. For a moment something in him faltered, remembering the deck his opponent had used last match. He suppressed it. He was-

[Too scared to remind myself]

-having too much fun recapturing the feeling of enjoying the rush of a duel. "I'll lead off with my first summon- come out, Vorse Raider!" With a feral howl, Kaito's demonic beast-warrior rose up beside the duelist, running his tongue across the surface of his cruel blade. "I'll set two cards… now, make your play Shiro!" (1900/1200)

"I told you, stop calling me that!" Faust snapped, drawing. Kaito grinned. He was-

[Going to die now]

-getting to his opponent. The rudeness was having a visible effect on the self-proclaimed king of the underworld, who gritted his teeth and gripped his card with enough force that the reinforced material it was made from began to bend. "I activate the effect of my Skull Conductor, sending it from my hand to the graveyard!"

Kaito stared, mildly surprised. "Hey, Shiro. Your hand's the same as last time, isn't it?"

Faust's hand paused as he prepared to insert the card into the graveyard. "That's-"

Kaito slowly grinned. "Haha… I don't believe in crap like fate or destiny, but there's something definitely strange about that, don't you think? Maybe your deck is trying to tell you something! Trying to tell you that you haven't moved on since last night!"

"And- and so what if it is?" Faust growled as Skull Conductor vanished into his graveyard slot. "Doesn't that mean things will turn out the same as they did last time? I activate Skull Conductor's monster effect, special summoning two copies of Burning Skull Head from my hand!" With a demonic cackle a pair of human skulls, blazing merrily, exploded into existence and charged towards Kaito. The Lion of the East brought up his arms as a shield as Faust shouted over the chatter of the skulls. "Now you'll experience the pain of hellfire! Burning Skull Head's monster effect inflicts one thousand points of damage to you when it's special summoned from my hand!" (1000/800) x2

The solid vision barely fazed Kaito. The same could not be said for the electric charge that struck his body as the device he had placed around his neck jolted to life. The shock was incredible. Kaito nearly blacked out from the pain and heard an animal screaming. Moments later he realized it was his own voice. (4000-2000=2000)

Faust seemed heartened as he grinned cruelly. "Heh, same as ever, Shishio. You can talk like a big lion, but you're actually a scared little pussy-cat, aren't you? I activate my spell card, Everliving Underworld Cannon!"

Kaito struggled to his feet, breathing heavily, as the massive cannon rose behind Faust, leveling its barrel directly at him as the skulls that made up its base seemed to grin in anticipation. He knew-

[I'm going to die]

-He could survive this next turn, but it would hurt. He gritted his teeth as Faust made his inevitable follow-up play. "I summon Plaguespreader Zombie!" The bloated, ape-like corpse shambled onto the field as Faust glowered. "Shishio, say farewell! I tune my three monsters together! A lone figure wanders this world… his dark justice is feared by all! Synchro summon! Take Aim…"

Faust pointed directly at Kaito as the usual display of overpowering light erupted behind him, engulfing the arena. "Lone Skull Rider!" (2000/1200)

The column of light burst, and the strange, armored man stepped from within it. The skull like mask glinted in the dim light of the arena as the monster's long, white scarf fluttered in a wind that neither duelist could feel. Faust seemed to tower above Kaito as he continued. "Now Shishio… you'll experience hellfire followed by death! The effect of Everliving Underworld Cannon deals eight hundred points of direct damage to your life points!"

The cannon charged, and Kaito managed to pull himself together in time to face the burst of energy. This time, prepared for the pain, he managed to hold back a scream when the blast struck. Instead, what emerged was something like a yelp of pain. (2000- 800= 1200)

Faust laughed maniacally. "It ended so quickly, Shishio! Look at your field! The moment I activate Lone Skull Rider's effect, I can fire its shots until your monster is too weak to defend your pitiful remaining life points! Lone Skull Rider's monster effect activates! Every level three or lower zombie-type monster used as its synchro material will return from the graveyard as an equip spell, equipped to it!" The ground beneath Faust broke open as three howling spirits rose out, swirling around Lone Skull Rider as the monster raised its gun in satisfaction, preparing to load them into its firing chamber.

[It's hopeless. This is the end for me. I should just-]

(This isn't the end. It isn't hopeless. I'm not giving up here!)

Faust shouted in surprise as one of Kaito's cards flipped face-up, releasing a torrent of pure, clear water that smashed into Lone Skull Rider. The mysterious warrior stumbled backward as the spirits that had been about to load themselves into its gun disappeared, wisping away into nothingness. "Shishio!" Faust growled in shock. "What the hell did you just do to my monster?"

Kaito began to laugh. It was a full, rich laugh that caused Faust to stare at his opponent for a moment, not sure if he had just gone insane. "Easy enough, Shiro. I just forced your monster to rely on its own strength for once, instead of the souls it carries around. The effect of my Prohibited Chalice will negate any monster's effect in exchange for increasing its attack points by four hundred until the end phase… and since I chained it to your monster's summon, you won't be able to equip any cards from your graveyard!"

"That's…" Faust stared at his monster. It was true- the warrior's strength had increased slightly. "Fine, Shishio. We'll play it your way- I'll just take one turn longer to kill you! Lone Skull Rider, attack his Vorse Raider! Finger On the Trigger!" (2400/1200)

Lone Skull Rider's scarf whipped in the phantom wind as it pointed its weapon, bereft of any supernatural ammunition, directly at Kaito's leering beast-warrior. Without a hint of hesitation it fired, a spread of bullets slamming directly into the monster's skin. Kaito flinched as final charge of electricity struck his body. (1200-500= 700)

Faust leered. "Go on Shishio… admit defeat. During my next turn I'll simply use Plaguespreader Zombie's monster effect to special summon it, and then you'll lose your last few life points from the effect of Everliving Underworld Cannon. If you give up now, I'll let you get off with licking my boots and calling me 'king' instead of just crushing you under my heel."

[This situation is impossible to-]

(This is perfect! I have everything I need to counter him! )

Kaito grinned and snapped his fingers. "Trap card, activate! Shock Draw!" Thunder crackled around him as he drew three cards and checked their identity. "For every thousand points of damage I just took, I can draw a card!"

[Those cards won't do any good against-]

(These cards are the path to victory!)

Kaito pointed at Faust, breathing heavily as sweat rolled from his forehead. "Hey Shiro, nice lead. I'm having fun already. Now it's my turn!"

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Alright Achan, the red-haired duelist told himself calmly as his opponent sneered at him, The worst she's done so far is set monsters. Alright admittedly she's come pretty close to doubling her initial life point count. And I have no idea what deck she's running still. And she has more defenses than I can break through. But still, I can take this.

He glanced at his two monsters. Wandering Shinobi and Wandering Beast can replace themselves if they're destroyed, and Wandering Shinobi will let me trade spare spells for useful card as long as it's on the field. It doesn't matter if she keeps defending- Wandering Hero can just find a piercing equip and attack.

"I can tell what you're thinking, boy," Ella's voice cut across the field as she drew. "You're thinking that even with my life points as high as they are, it won't matter once you encounter a card that can damage me- correct?"

Achan tried very hard not to let his astonishment show on his face. He failed spectacularly.

"You're still such a child," Ella sighed as a green-framed card appeared behind her. "I activate the continuous spell, Toll. So long as this card is face-up on the field, you will have to pay five hundred life points to attack."

"Oh… oh shit," Achan muttered under his breath. "That's going to make things really-"

"Difficult? How observant of you, boy." Ella curtsied slightly, setting a card as she did so. "I'll set one last monster and one card on the field, and end my turn."

Achan's cheeks burned slightly as he drew quickly, glancing at the card. "Alright! I'll summon Wandering Hero in attack position!" The blonde-haired warrior leaped onto the field, roaring a victory cry. "When Wandering Hero is summoned, I send a monster card from my hand to the graveyard, and then I get the ability to select an equip spell from my deck and give it to him!" Achan slipped his Wandering Mage into the graveyard slot as his deck whirred and spat out his requested card. "I'll use Big Bang Shot, increasing my monster's attack points by 400 and giving him the ability to pierce through defensive monsters!" (2100/1200)

"Oh? It seems you're finally coming close to damaging me." Ella laughed and held up her cards to mask her face. "But will you be able to win with so little effort?"

"I activate the effect of the Wandering Mage in my graveyard, removing it from play to get the spell card Limit Break-Bestialize added from my deck to my hand!" Achan countered as he returned the monster to his deck box and drew the spell. "A-And then-" He paused, unsure of himself for a moment. Her set card- is it a Mirror Force? If that's the case, I shouldn't discard this for Wandering Shinobi's effect. I need it to activate Wandering Beast's… um… right! That's what I'll do then!

"I'll use Wandering Hero to attack your set Nimble Momonga!" Achan shouted as the Hero held up his new blade, a massive two-handed sword hewn from what appeared to be material from a fallen meteor. "Braver!" (LP: 4000- 500= 3500)

"So predictable," Ella yawned as the hero's blade descended towards her set monster. A green shield surrounded the card, blocking the assault. "The effect of my Draining Shield will negate your attack and give me life points equal to the attack points of your monster. Too bad, boy." (LP: 7000+ 2100= 9100)

"INCREDIBLE! DESPITE SMITH'S UNRELENTING ASSAULT, HIS OPPONENT HASN'T GIVEN AN INCH! CAN HE HOPE TO PIERCE THROUGH THIS PERFECT DEFENSE?"

Achan winced and pointed to Wandering Shinobi. "If one attack won't work, I'll just keep going! Wandering Shinobi, attack- um, attack that set monster in the center, the one that isn't a Momonga!" (LP: 3500- 500= 3000)

"Bad choice," Ella remarked as the Shinobi's deathblow struck and a large, screaming hamster of some sort appeared. "I activate the effect of my Bubonic Vermin. When flipped, this card will special summon a second Bubonic Vermin from my deck in face-down defense position." A new set monster appeared, taking the place of the shattered one.

"I'm- I'm not through! Wandering Beast, attack the monster she set last turn! Sled Fang!" At Achan's command the bright red creature roared, launching itself towards the final set monster on the field as a rush of wind built around it. "And furthermore, when attacking, my monster increases its attack points by four hundred for each Wandering monster on my field!" (3000/1200) (LP: 3000- 500= 2500)

"Too bad," Ella remarked disinterestedly as the roaring beast struck her set card. "That monster is Desertapir!" As the sled fang pierced through the snoring, rotund beast, a dark fog floated up from it and grabbed onto Wandering Hero before forcing it to its knees. "When this monster is flipped, I select one monster on the field and set it. My choice is your Hero!"

"B-But that means my equip spell is-!" Achan winced as Big Bang Shot shattered as Hero's body was replaced by a horizontal card back. "U-um…"

Ella waited patiently for a moment and then drew. "I take it you end your turn, boy?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Then mine begins again. I activate the spell card, Level Tax!" Ella waved her hand imperiously as a pair of massive brass scales rose behind her. "While I control this card, both of us will have to pay life points equal to the attack points of a level five or higher monster we summon."

"B-But that means-" Achan choked slightly as he looked at the life point reading on his duel disk.

"You've realized it, haven't you? This is the true shape of my deck. You're smart enough to understand what it is, aren't you, boy?" Ella sneered. "Our dear announcer forgot to introduce me by my proper title- where I come from, I'm known as the Merchant of Death. It's not that I sell defeat though," She batted her eyelashes as she spoke, "It's simply that my opponents keep paying away their life points and getting nothing in return. Now aren't you going to make a move, boy? The clock is ticking, and you've already lost the ability to summon level five monsters with more than two thousand attack points. Your play."

Achan gulped.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

"My turn, draw!" Kaito shouted as he revealed the top card of his deck. "I summon my monster, Storm Hound, in attack position!" With a howl, the monster appeared in front of Kaito, tensed and ready to pounce as stray charges leaped from its fur. (1500/1200)

"Go on, Shishio. You're only delaying the inevitable." Faust grimaced.

"My inevitable victory, you mean?" Kaito pointed at his monster. "If you're sure you want to lose that bad! I activate the effect of Storm Hound! By sending two normal monsters from my deck to the graveyard, its attack points increase by three hundred for each monster I sent there until my end phase!" Kaito revealed two cards from his deck- Master of the Underdog and King of the Veldt. "Go, Storm Hound! Gathering Storm!" The dog howled again and threw back its head as lightning struck around it. (2100/1200)

"Don't joke around, Shishio! You know my Cannon will reduce your life points to zero next turn, so why are you acting like you've already won?" Faust's eyes blazed with anger. "Can't you understand that you're not worth anything anymore? You've been defeated once, and you'll be defeated again!"

"Aaaw, scared?" Kaito leered at his opponent. "I told you, Shiro, it's my turn, and I'll do what I want with it! Storm Hound, attack his Lone Skull Rider! Storm Fang!"

Faust grunted in pain as Kaito's monster leaped on his warrior in a frenzy, tearing it limb from limb. The damage was barely enough to shock him, but it was there. (LP: 4000-100= 3900)

"I'll set two cards, and end my turn." Kaito smiled at his opponent. "Exciting, huh?"

"Shishio!" Faust spat out the word, barely able to contain himself. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Kaito rolled his eyes. "Shiro, do I have to spell it out for you?" The Lion of the East sighed. "I suppose there's no helping it. Think about how you're feeling right now. How long has it been since you've had a charge like this? You can't help it, Shiro, we're too much alike." He grinned. "Just go ahead and admit it- you're having as much fun right now as I am. Why don't you just relax and enjoy it a little?" He selected two cards from his hand and placed them on his duel disk, where they appeared behind his crouching monster. "I'll set these two cards, and end my turn. Now come on, Shiro! Stop acting like this is all about crushing me and getting revenge or whatever, and enjoy yourself! Otherwise what the hell is the point?"

Faust stared at Kaito for all of five minutes, neither duelist saying anything. Then, "Heh."

"Haha."

"Hahaha."

The spectators of the duel gave each other strange looks as both men dissolved into laughter, if not quite simultaneously, then definitely in synch with each other. It took a good minute or two of solid laughing before Faust finally pulled himself together to respond. "Shi- haha, Shishio- hahahahahaha! You're so full of shit!" He shook his head. "You came down here and gave this big speech about 'not being the same person' as you were before? Bullshit, you haven't changed a bit!"

"I was talking about dueling, Shiro," Kaito grinned. "And anyway, weren't you just talking a few minutes ago about finishing me with your cannon? Go on and do it already!"

Faust's eyes narrowed. "Almost had me there, Shishio." He drew, and then after a quick glance at his card placed it in the central monster zone of his duel disk. "I summon Pyramid Turtle, in attack position!" With a roar, a massive tortoise rose up on Faust's field supporting a golden pyramid on its back rather than a shell. (1200/1400)

The self-proclaimed King of the Underworld swept out a hand and pointed at Kaito's Storm Hound. "Pyramid Turtle, attack his monster! Giza Press!" At Faust's command the monster leaped into the air, drawing itself within the pyramid as it did. The structure fell towards Kaito's monster at an alarming rate.

"Is that it? No problem then! Storm Hound, counter-attack! Storm Fang!" Kaito roared in response. Despite having lost the power it had gained from its own effect, the hound leaped into the air, piercing through the Pyramid Turtle like a knife through hot butter. (1500/1200)

Faust grinned slightly, even has his life points decreased and a charge of electricity from his still-active damage flux devices struck him. "I activate the effect of Pyramid Turtle! When this monster is destroyed by battle, I can special summon a zombie-type monster from my deck with less than two thousand defense points!" (LP: 3900- 300= 3600)

On the ground, the fragments of the pyramid that had once been the turtle's shell changed to mist and floated into the air, creating a thick fog behind Faust. A massive, clawed hand reached from within it, followed by the upper body of a strange creature. The monster roared as it lumbered forward, its body rattling as it moved. The ogre was at least two times the size of Kaito's hound, and appeared to have been stitched together from the bones of various dead creatures. "I special summon Ryu Kokki, in attack position!" (2400/1000)

Kaito laughed. "That's the combo you used against me in our first duel. You remember it?"

"I remember every one of our duels, Shishio. You're the one who slacked off, not me!" Faust stretched out his hand imperiously. "Since Ryu Kokki was special summoned, I can activate the effect of Everliving Underworld Cannon to deal you eight hundred points of direct damage! Fire!" Behind him, the cannon charged with energy and released its skull-shaped bullet.

"I chain my trap card!" Kaito shouted in response as he slipped one card from his hand into his graveyard slot. "By the effect of Rainbow Life, this turn damage to my life points will be transformed into life point gain instead!" The bullet struck, causing Kaito to bring up his arm and shield himself. Even as he did, his life points recovered. (LP: 700+ 800= 1500)

"As I predicted," Faust leered. "You had this in mind from the beginning, didn't you Shishio? You were planning to let me use Plaguespreader Zombie's effect, effectively sealing my draw phase next turn. Then you would have had material for a counter attack!" The zombie duelist laughed maniacally. "You've shielded your life points, but I won't allow you to take control of the field so easily! Ryu Kokki, attack Shishio's Storm Hound! Dragon Bone Crusher!" The massive arm of the skeletal demon swung down, easily crushing Kaito's monster beneath it.

"Rainbow Life's effect causes me to gain nine hundred life points instead of taking battle damage!" Kaito countered as a few stray shards of bone knocked free from Ryu Kokki's arm by the impact of the attack ricocheted harmlessly away from a rainbow aura coating him. (LP: 1500 + 900= 2400)

"Life points don't matter, Shishio. Not until you've lost your last one." Faust grinned. "I'll take back every single point you just gained during my next turn! I set my last card, and end!"

Kaito drew, grinning.

The audience stared. Something had changed. The intensity of the duel hadn't decreased at all- both players were still locking eyes, daring each other to strike a finishing move if they could. Instead, something else was growing alongside it. Both players seemed to be in tune with some sort of strange harmony, communicating with each other in a language that went beyond words.

Kaito tapped a button on his duel disk. "I activate my trap card, Birthright! By its effect, I special summon any normal monster in my graveyard. Come out, Master of the Underdog!" The flames leapt up, releasing Kaito's warrior tuner. The monster snapped its fingers, lighting a cigarette and casually holding it to its lips. (1400/1000)

"Feh- again with your 'new duelist' crap. Same old tricks, same old opponent." Faust smirked. "You can talk all you want about being reborn or whatever, Shishio, but you're still the same duelist you always were!"

"You're wrong," Kaito countered as he placed a second monster on his duel disk. "I told you, Shiro, don't just assume you're playing the same person as the other night! My strategy may not have changed but all the same, I've evolved! I summon Gladiator Beast Andal, in attack position!" With a roar the armored bear appeared beside the Master of the Underdog, flanking him. "And I'll tune these two together now!"

The Master stomped on his cigarette, releasing a maelstrom of flame that swept him up, transforming into four brilliant green rings of light. Within the center, Andal's outline melted away to become four stars. Kaito chanted. "If you can't win once, win the second time! If there's no way through, make your own path! Synchro summon! Raise your blade and fight on, King of the Underdog!" The synchro gates exploded, and the warrior king stepped out, hefting his broadsword over one shoulder as he grinned cheekily at Faust's ogre. (2800/1400)

"Just changing a speech doesn't change YOU, Shishio!" Faust roared.

"I activate the effect of King of the Underdog!" Kaito continued, ignoring his opponent's challenge. "By sending one card from my hand to the graveyard, I can now special summon a normal monster from the graveyard!" He slipped one of the two remaining cards in his hand into the graveyard slot. "And there's only one monster I'd want to summon with this effect- I special summon King of the Veldt!" The King waved his blade, and a blast of flame erupted in front of Kaito, revealing the lion with the burning mane. Kaito smirked as his monsters roared at Faust. "Ryu Kokki is a tough monster, Shiro- but power won't get you anywhere against me! I am the Lion of the East, and power is my strongest point!" (3000/1800)

Faust sneered. "And at the same time, it's your only point!" He spread his arms, waiting. "Come on, Shishio. Hit me with your best shot."

"With pleasure!" Kaito pointed at the towering bone giant on Faust's field. "King of the Veldt, attack Ryu Kokki! Wrath of the Beast King!" At his command the lion leapt into the air, pouncing on the hapless ogre. Bones crunched into powder underneath the beast's weight, and a sea of flames consumed what remained of the monster. Faust flinched, unable to disguise the pain he felt as a jolt of electricity struck him. (LP: 3600- 600= 3000)

Kaito nodded to his remaining monster. "King of the Underdog, attack his life points directly! Wild King's Judgment!" The king hefted his broadsword and grinned as he casually tossed the heavy weapon from one hand to another and back again. Then he struck, his blade slashing across Faust's body in a magnificent arc. Faust roared in pain like a wounded animal as his damage flux devices delivered a massive charge of electricity to him, causing the zombie duelist to stumble backward. (LP: 3000- 2800= 200)

"I end my turn," Kaito smirked as his opponent got up. "Do you believe me now, Shiro?"

"Feh… as… if…" Faust grunted, wheezing in between words. As he rose, his trap card flipped open. "New title… Shishio… but… same… tricks."

Kaito glanced at the trap's identity. "Shock Draw?"

Faust nodded as his heavy breathing finally subsided. "You learned from me while we were students, and I learned from you. That's how it works with rivals, right?" He drew three cards, leering at Kaito all the while. "I admit Shishio- after that little display, I've made my decision." He drew himself up to his full height. "Listen up, you idiots! From now on, I acknowledge Shishio as my rival again! If any of you have a problem with that, you can take it up with me! Got it?" He returned his attention to Kaito. "And with that out of the way- Shishio, get ready to go down on your knees and acknowledge me as King again!"

Kaito rolled his eyes. "Save it for when you actually win!"

"My pleasure." Faust's demon grin fell into place as he drew for his turn. "Since you ask so nicely Shishio, I'll make sure that my finishing move for this duel is something unforgettable!"

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Achan drew, hesitantly. "Dammit…" he muttered as he surveyed the field.

Snipe Hunter. Chiron. I need one of them, I can't just… DAMN it! He looked at the useless Wandering Synchron in his hand. None of his synchros would do him any good with Level Tax in play, and attacking with an extra monster would cost life points. He gulped slightly. "Um- I activate the spell card, Heaven's Lost Property!"

A shower of angel feathers fell around Achan as he drew the top three cards of his deck. "Heaven's Lost Property lets both players draw three cards, and then discard two." He prayed silently as he looked at the cards he had drawn- and cursed. "U-um… I'll discard these two." He stared forlornly at the three cards in his hand. Synchro summoning wouldn't do him much good, but in the hopes that he might be able to later, he held onto Wandering Synchron as he slipped two more cards into his graveyard. His graveyard slot spat out the second card he had discarded with a whir, and he pocketed it. "I'll remove Wandering Cleric in my graveyard from play to add Limit Break-Seal Evil to my hand, and I'll-"

He had been about to declare an attack, but the words caught in his throat. Attacking now was what his opponent wanted. She'd just end up with more life points than he could possibly deal with, and he'd lose when time ran out. "I-I end my turn."

"Oh? Passing play so as to avoid losing life points to Toll?" Ella drew slowly, savoring every second. She gave the card a quick glance and played it. "I activate the effect of The Shallow Grave." The ground directly in front of her opened, and the back of a set monster appeared. "By this card's effect, I special summon one monster in face-down defense position. Of course, you're allowed the same courtesy." (?/?)

Achan winced in pain. "But my only monster is-"

He glanced at the card, which depicted a somewhat-silly looking anthropomorphic mouse-like creature with a tuft of fur on its head, and set it on the field.

"I activate my second card this turn." Ella smirked. Achan gasped in horror as a massive, emerald and gold ornamental cannon pushed itself from the ground behind Queen and leveled its barrel at him. Queen waved at the card dismissively. "Wave-Motion Cannon will charge itself during each of my standby phases. At any point, I may send it to the graveyard to deal you one thousand points of damage for each of my standby phases that it has remained on the field. You have three turns."

"…Shit" Achan whispered to himself.

"And now, I'll add the final piece of my combo," Queen announced as a fourth continuous spell appeared on the field, next to Toll and Level Tax. "Chain Energy will force us both to pay five hundred life points for every card either of us summons, sets, or activates from our hand. In short, boy, you now have a grand total of four attacks, summons, sets or activations you can make before my combo locks you out of doing anything at all."

Dammit. Dammit. DAMMIT!

Achan's hand fell to his side, and his cheeks burned with embarrassment as he lowered his head. It's no good. I can't touch a defense like that. Nothing can. I should just…

The unpleasant tingling feeling of embarrassment was suddenly replaced by shock as Achan felt something tug at the edge of his consciousness. It appears that someone here needs an intervention from the voices in his head.

Achan blinked in surprise. That wasn't the Queen's voice-

How astute of you! Perhaps we should have a little chat, and I'll fill in some gaps in your understanding.

There was a flash of light, and Achan's vision of the arena winked out.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

"My turn," Faust declared as he gripped the top card of his deck. "Draw!"

A thick grey mist began to rise beneath the green-haired duelist's feet, slowly filling the entire arena. Faust threw back his head and laughed maniacally. "Alright, Shishio! I've got to hand it to you, you made that duel interesting. But you forgot one thing- it doesn't matter whether I'm enjoying myself or not. In this underground hell, I'm still king!" He revealed a spell card in his hand. "I'll start by activating the effect of Book of Life! This spell card will allow me to special summon a zombie type monster from my graveyard, and afterwards I'll remove one monster in your graveyard from play!" A single card ejected itself from Faust's graveyard slot, and he slammed it onto his duel disk with almost childish glee. "I special summon Burning Skull Head!" The demon skull leaped into the air, cackling inhumanly. (1000/800)

Behind Faust, the Everliving Underworld Cannon gathered its energy and released its skull-shaped bullet. Kaito brought up his arms to defend himself, only for the shock to hit, causing him to stumble back as he grunted in pain. (LP: 2400- 800= 1600)

"The monster I'll be removing from play…" Faust licked his lips for a moment and then made his decision. "I'll remove Master of the Underdog!" Kaito gritted his teeth in frustration as the monster slid from his graveyard slot, a holographic ripple temporarily causing it to 'vanish'. His opponent laughed. "Next, I activate the monster effect of Plaguespreader Zombie! By returning any one card in my hand to the top of my deck, I special summon it!" The shambling, bloated undead creature reappeared on Faust's field, pulling its way up from a chasm in the arena. (400/500)

Kaito glanced at Faust's Skull Head. "So you summoned a level three monster instead of the level six Ryu Kokki- guess you want more than eight levels for your synchro summon, eh, Shiro?"

"How brilliant of you, Shishio." Faust rolled his eyes. "I activate the effect of a monster in my hand! By removing a level three or lower zombie-type monster in my graveyard from play, I can normal summon this monster without tribute. Come out, Hell Skull Biker!" A high-pitched scream echoed through the air as Faust's second Burning Skull Head was ejected from his graveyard slot and fell uselessly to the ground. A grinning skeleton dressed in a motorcycle jacket roared into the arena from the mist behind the zombie duelist, cackling as blue flames spurted from its eye sockets. Its mount- a motorcycle that seemed literally alive, a demon's face attached to its front breathing in and out- launched a stream of blue flames from its exhaust as well. (2100/1700)

Kaito added up the levels. "You aren't holding anything back, huh, Shiro?"

[You know he has you now. Might as well give up.]

(You're not even trying to pretend to be me anymore, idiot.)

[Damn you! Why don't you just disappear?]

The phantom voice rang out in Kaito's mind as Faust raised his hand to the air and clenched his fist. "You weren't bad, Shishio, once you started taking things seriously. But you can't even come close to my level! I tune my level five Hell Biker to my level three Burning Skull Head and level two Plaguespreader Zombie!" The shambling creature ripped itself open, releasing the now-familiar swarm of flies. Burning Skull Head swept through the rings, setting them ablaze as it dissolved into three stars. Close behind it, the skeletal biker was consumed by blue flame until it faded into a five-star constellation. The eight stars lined up within the rings of flies. "From the depths of hell, come out and swallow the wicked! Synchro summon!" Faust practically screamed as a column of light erupted behind him.

The beast that emerged from the column was larger than the cage Faust and Kaito were battling each other within. The hologram system adapted quickly, shifting its scale down. A grinning, crocodilian face leered down at Kaito, and a bear-like body clawed at the ground. The monster's long, black mane flowed as it screamed out a challenge. Faust smirked. "Devour them, Wicked Judgment- Ammut!" (2500/2000)

Below Faust's feet, the ground cracked. Souls flowed out- Ryu Kokki with its bony arms shuffled from the grave first, then Lone Skull Rider, then the remaining Burning Skull Head. Behind them came Skull Conductor and Faust's Hell Biker, and finally Pyramid Turtle. Faust cackled with glee. "When Wicked Judgment- Ammut is synchro summoned successfully, I remove every monster in my graveyard from play. For each card I remove in this way, I permanently increase its attack points by three hundred!" Ammut's jaw opened and a harsh vacuum pulled the souls of Faust's monsters into its jaws, which snapped shut. (4300/2000)

Faust's eyes lit up with a mad gleam as he pointed at the King of the Underdog. "Wicked Judgment- Ammut, devour that thing! Final Torment!" The massive beast lurched forward and opened its jaws again. The King of the Underdog's eyes widened in fright as a vacuum of force pulled him into Ammut's limitless stomach. The crocodile goddess shut her mouth and grinned slightly.

Kaito had steeled himself for the shock of the damage flux devices, but even knowing what was to come didn't change the fact that it was one of the worst shocks he had felt during the duel. He gasped in pain, breathing heavily as beads of sweat fell from his forehead to the ground. For a moment, the world fuzzed in his head. (1600- 1500= 100)

"Ammut's second monster effect," Faust grinned. "From now on, any monster sent to your graveyard will be removed from play. And each time a monster is removed from play, Ammut's attack points increase further!" The beast opened her mouth and roared. (4600/2000)

Kaito winced and glanced at the last card in his hand.

[It's useless isn't it?]

(No, it isn't! I can still win with this!)

[You won't draw what you need. You'll disappear anyway. Just give in- it'll be easier.]

(Go to hell, bastard!)

[You're only mocking me because you know it's true. The odds are against you. Why can't you accept that?]

(Because…)

Faust frowned. "Are you going to give in Shishio, or are you going to make your move?"

"I'll make it alright, Shiro!" Kaito roared as he grabbed the top card of his deck. A burst of adrenaline struck his system, and the world seemed to leap into overdrive. He closed his eyes. (I won't give in because-)

(Because-)

(Because I can't! I don't know how to give in! I refuse to give in! The moment I give in is the moment I stop existing, and I refuse to let that happen, because I WANT TO LIVE!)

The walls of fate buckled and shattered as Kaito drew.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

A white mist surrounded Achan, completely blocking his line of sight. He blinked as he stepped back, stumbling as he attempted to assess his unfamiliar surroundings. This wasn't the same void he remembered meeting the Queen in last time. What the hell was going on?

The mist in front of Achan cleared slightly, and a figure emerged- an elderly man wearing a pair of red-tinted sunglasses. The man bowed slightly. "Ah, Mr. Smith. Thank you for being my guest in this space between."

Achan shook his head. "Um, who-"

"'Who are you', correct?" The old man finished Achan's sentence before he could complete it. "I suppose you could call me your fairy godmother."

"My what?" Achan shook his head, attempting to clear it. "I mean, where are we? What does that mean? Where's the Queen? What-"

"The Queen?" The old man smiled, and behind the lenses of his glasses, Achan saw a hint of a glint in his eyes. "She's here, and she'll join us in a moment. As for where we are…" he chuckled for a moment, "Why don't I take us to someplace more comfortable?"

The old man snapped his fingers, and Achan found himself standing in the middle of his room. It wasn't his room in the hotel back in New York, or even any room he'd actually stayed in during his life. It was simply his room, which he could somehow tell in the way he could tell that his body was his or that his arms and legs were his. Not that it didn't resemble rooms he had stayed in- the walls were plastered with posters of various games or anime he remembered playing and watching, and sketchbooks filled with various drawings were strewn across the floor and the bed. A desktop computer sat in the corner, humming away. The old man smiled again. "Welcome to your soul, Achan Smith. Not many people get the chance to know themselves so intimately."

Achan fervently wished that he had never found out that his soul smelled like stale, spilled energy drinks. He shook his head again, trying in vain to make sense of what was happening. "I'm- I'm still confused. Can you just please explain what's going on?"

"Unfortunately, Mr. Smith, we're playing a game," The old man's smile vanished. "Games have rules. And I'm afraid one of the rules of this game requires me to be infuriatingly vague when I interact with you, so as to avoid giving you unfair assistance."

Something clicked in Achan's mind. "You- you're one of the people in charge of that whole struggle-for-fate thing. You're the one who's backing us up and giving us all these special powers and things. What exactly are you, anyway?"

The old man didn't directly answer the question, but his smile returned. "You may call me The Elder if you want a name for me. Now, I believe, Mr. Smith, that you were asking about the location of a certain Queen?"

That's right, Achan remembered. He had been wondering about her. "Um- is she here because of you?" he asked carefully.

The Elder winked. "In a manner of speaking. You see, I'm not allowed to offer direct assistance to players within the game. Mortal souls on the other hand are free to offer assistance to either side, and thus cannot be barred from interfering by anyone involved. The rules never actually said whether said souls had to be from the same timeline or world as the current one. Given your- ahem- shall we say, somewhat lackluster track record as a duelist, I was only too delighted when our mutual friend volunteered to lend you some assistance. I simply placed her consciousness in the closest place possible to yours."

"Assistance?" Achan asked, puzzled. Okay, there had been the dueling lessons, but Wheels could have covered those without needing to be transplanted into his soul.

"Her talent, of course," the old man replied. "Her ability to create a miracle when faced with an insurmountable situation, not unlike a more controlled variation of what Mr. Shishio can accomplish. And it would have been a shame not to let her through," he mused. "She was so obsessed with that promise of yours too-"

The word threw a switch in Achan's memories. Something shifted in his mind.

"Very well, then. I'm _, though you may simply refer to me as 'miss' if you like to use a less syllable-intensive title. A pleasure to meet you, I suppose. Just follow orders and try not to get in the way of my tournament victory, will you? I know you can't be as good as me, but at least try to, alright?"

A memory. It was stuck in his head. Who had said that? He remembered an intense feeling, a rivalry, some kind of desire to-

"Very well, then. I'm _, though you may simply refer to me as 'miss' if you like to use a less syllable-intensive title"

The name. What was her name? They'd gone through a lot together, he remembered. It was a promise they'd made. It wasn't something they'd really ever said outright because it didn't need saying. They just knew that they were going to meet at the end of the tournament and settle their score and that was that. What was her name?

"Very well, then. I'm _,"

Who was she?

"I'm _,"

WHO?

The thoughts ran together in a sickening mess, heaping one on top of another, until one word cut through the confusion and Achan blinked in surprise. "Tacey. That's right. She's Tacey."

The old man blinked for a moment, a bemused expression crossing his face. "Interesting. So you retained your memories of that time as well. I can't say that I foresaw that-" He chuckled again. "And I'd like to keep it that way."

Something else clicked. "So wait, you just trapped Tacey in my soul?" Achan didn't bother to disguise the note of contempt in his voice. "Did you even ask? What did you-"

"I didn't trap her here." The Elder's smile glinted dangerously. "While I was less-than-forthcoming about some of the exact details of the arrangement I could give her, your friend is quite free to leave this place at any time and rejoin the normal flow of this timeline. Of course, I can't guarantee that if she did so, her memories of your meeting and your promise would remain at all, and I've told her as much."

"Wait, wait," Achan shook his head vehemently. "Rewind a bit. You're telling me that because we promised to-" he struggled for a moment and then grasped the memory before it could fade, "We promised to meet in the finals of a tournament as rivals, she actually voluntarily chose to trap herself in my soul?"

The Elder nodded. "Sweet of her, wasn't it?"

"That's-" Achan found himself blushing slightly. "Um… wow."

The Elder nearly bent double with laughter. "Yes, that was definitely worth coming here," he chuckled.

"W-what's so funny!" Achan snapped, unaware that his blush was continuing to grow.

"Oh, humanity in general, I suppose," The Elder laughed. "Now, I believe I should take my leave while you and the queen have a little conversation. But I suppose I could share a token of my appreciation before I go." He reached into the pocket of his trousers and removed a small object, before tossing it to Achan. "Catch."

Achan caught it. It was a pair of pilot's goggles framed with red rims. A broad grin spread across his face. "Thanks!"

"I thought you might appreciate that," The Elder chuckled. He snapped his fingers, and then he was gone.

In his place sat the violet-haired girl Achan had, up until a few minutes ago, remembered only as the queen. Even after what he suspected was a supernatural jog of his memory he couldn't remember all of the exact details of the time they'd spent together, but he remembered enough to realize exactly what the fact that she was sitting in his mind meant. He swallowed, hard. "Um, Tacey, I-"

"Smith, let me be perfectly clear with you," The girl's tones were perfectly level and betrayed no emotion beyond minor annoyance. "I am not doing this out of any sort of affection for you. I am here simply because I know that if I don't give you some assistance you will never measure up to the sort of duelist you will need to be in order to keep our promise. You may be content with breaking yours, but I am quite capable of keeping mine. Do I make myself clear?"

Achan blinked. "Um, I wasn't actually going to say-"

"Never mind that," Tacey interrupted, grabbing Achan's arm and dragging him to the nearby desk. "You have a match to play and a winning move to make. Now here is what you are going to do if you don't want to lose-"

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

As Kaito drew, a heat wave seemed to sweep throughout the field. The Lion of the East felt his body burning, pulsing with energy that flowed from his fingertips into his drawn card. He looked at it and smirked. "Alright, Shiro, it's time to end this. You hit me with everything you had last turn, so allow me to return the favor!" He slammed a monster onto his duel disk. "I summon Mad Dog of Darkness, in attack position!" A howl filled the air, and suddenly Kaito was flanked by a drooling, demonic pit bull. (1900/1400)

Faust sneered. "That card's one of the first monsters you played against me, back before you got this animal obsession. You trying to see if you can beat me with nostalgia, Shishio?"

"Like hell," Kaito smirked as he revealed the final card in his hand. "But just because I'm a stronger person now, that doesn't mean I've totally forgotten who I was yesterday. The Kaito Shishio from five minutes ago may be gone, but I remember him. The Kaito Shishio from when we were friends may be gone, but I remember him. And every lesson he- we- I- have ever learned is still with me! Every bit of strength from back then flows into the person I am now! Let me show you!" The Mad Dog of Darkness burst into motes of light, which flowed into King of the Veldt. "Gift of the Martyr lets me tribute one monster I control to give its attack points to another one!" The lion roared and shook out its fiery mane before digging its claws into the arena floor. (4900/1800)

Faust laughed madly. "Is that really the best you can do, Shishio? Ammut's effect is still active! When you send monsters to the graveyard while I control it, they're removed from play instead, and since they were removed because of its effect, Ammut gains three hundred more attack points!" The crocodile goddess's mouth opened with a grin. (4900/2000)

Kaito's eyes flashed. "I activate the effect of a card in my graveyard!"

Faust's eyes narrowed. "You shouldn't be able to-" he paused. "No way- you bastard! You discarded it back then, didn't you?"

In response, the red-haired duelist held up the violet-framed card that his duel disk had just ejected from its graveyard slot. "I activate the effect of the Skill Sucessor I discarded for the effect of King of the Underdog! When this card is in my graveyard, during any turn except the turn it was sent there, I can remove it from play to increase the attack points of a monster I control by eight hundred!" King of the Veldt roared in triumph as its already-colossal attack points soared up further. "I told you, Shiro, power is my strongest point! The moment you made this duel about that, it was already my victory!" (5700/1800)

For a moment, the arena was silent as both duelists attempted to stare each other to back down. Finally, Kaito broke the silence. "King of the Veldt, finish this! Wrath of the Beast King- Extreme Lunatic Version!" The lion roared, leaping high into the air as a trail of flame blossomed in its wake.

Faust looked at the approaching lion and shouted his response. "Just because you've won doesn't mean I'll go down easy! Ammut, counter-attack! Final Torment!" The beast nodded once to acknowledge his orders, and then opened her jaws and leapt to meet the king. There was a terrific clash in mid-air, and then an explosion of flame. When the fire and smoke cleared away, Kaito's lion stared down at Faust, victorious. (200- 800= 0)

"Hey, SHIRO!"

Faust recovered from the last electrical shock his damage flux devices delivered just in time to see Kaito's fist approaching his face. It struck head on, causing him to stumble backwards. With a roar of pain he caught his balance and then returned the favor, striking back with a devastating right hook. Kaito ducked beneath and attempted to move in close for an uppercut, only for Faust's left hand to bury itself in his stomach. The lion of the east grunted as he stumbled back, and then he charged again.

The assembled spectators stared in awe as the two duelists began to engage in a spirited brawl.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

"!"

Kaito and Faust charged each other, both shouting with all the strength they could muster. Their fists connected. One spectator's jaw dropped. "C-Cross counter?"

In synch, both duelists crashed to the ground.

Achan felt himself return to reality, and blinked as he stared across the field at his opponent. Ella Queen was glaring at him, hands on her hips. "Are you going to take your turn at all yet, boy?"

"O-of course I am!" Achan stammered. He felt a sudden weight in his pocket, and quickly transferred his cards to the hand currently occupied with his duel disk to reach inside. After a moment, he pulled the object out.

It was a pair of goggles with bright red rims.

Before Achan quite knew what he was doing, he had pulled the goggles onto his head and pointed directly at his opponent. "O-kay! You've had your fun, Queen, but now it's time for my counter attack!"

"OH? WHAT'S THIS? SMITH HAS DECLARED HE'LL BE MAKING A COUNTER-ATTACK! BUT WITH HIS OPTIONS SO LIMITED, HOW WILL HE BREAK THROUGH HIS OPPONENT'S DEFENSES!"

Ignoring the announcer, Achan gripped the top card of his deck. "It's my turn! I draw!"

Achan was used to supernatural experiences. They were just a part of being a seer. The moment he drew, however, he felt a charge like never before. Was this how it felt when Kaito broke fate? He felt giddy, like he had just poured a shot of adrenaline straight into his heart. A gust of wind ruffled his hair as he finished drawing. He opened one eye to glance at his card.

Somewhere inside, he half-heard Tacey's voice. I can trust you to take it from here, Smith?

"I activate the effect of a spell card!" Achan shouted, revealing the green-bordered card to his opponent. "Limit Break-All Creation!"

"In order to activate this card, you'll need to give up five hundred life points," Queen reminded Achan, smirking. "And you've left yourself three total plays from your hand and attacks."

"I'll have less than that!" Achan wasn't sure where the sudden burst of confidence he felt was coming from, but he decided to roll with it. "But it won't matter in a moment!" (LP: 2500- 500 = 2000) (LP: 2000- 1000= 1000)

"What?" Queen seemed genuinely surprised, and was even more so when Achan's Wandering Shinobi leaped into the air and hurled her gleaming, oversized shuriken directly across the field. The bladed weapon transformed into a blur of light, slicing straight through Level Tax, Toll, and Chain Energy.

Achan pumped his fist triumphantly. "Alright! Limit Break- All Creation forces me to pay half my life points if I control monsters other than 'Wandering Shinobi' when I activate it. But in exchange, I get to destroy up to three cards on the field, and their owners draw one card for each one destroyed!"

Queen shook her head. "Boy, are you trying to say you'll finish this in one turn? You've left my Wave-Motion Cannon intact, and yourself without enough life points to withstand even a single shot." It was quite true. The cannon, unperturbed by the maelstrom of energy that had destroyed the rest of Queen's back row, shook slightly.

Achan nodded vigorously. "That's exactly what I'm trying to say!" He slammed a monster from his hand onto his duel disk. "I summon Wandering Synchron, in attack position!"

With a shout, the stuffed bear and the cat on its back appeared on the field, flashing a 'thumbs-up' to the audience. (1600/1000)

"THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED! ACHAN SMITH IS ABOUT TO MAKE THE FIRST SYNCHRO SUMMON IN THE PRO LEAGUES USING THE WANDERING ARCHETYPE!" The announcer roared.

Achan had experienced surges of confidence before, but this was on a whole new level. It was confidence, yes, but it was also a thirst, and a hunger, and a natural high. He was nearly swept away by euphoria as he flipped his set monster face-up. "I flip summon Wandering Synthesist!"

The monster caused a number of audience members to coo in amusement. The mouse-like creature stood only at Achan's knees, and was dressed in what appeared to be a green mechanic's coat. It bounced a crystal in its hand, glaring across the field at Queen and daring her to make fun of the red tuft of fur that dangled like a pom-pom on an antenna above its head. (500/500)

"I activate Wandering Synthesist's effect!" Achan declared as he revealed the Limit Break-Bestialize and Limit Break- Seal Evil he had added to his hand. "Once per turn, Wandering Synthesist lets me shuffle any number of 'Limit Break' spells in my hand back into my deck, and then draw that same amount of cards." His deck whirred, and spat out the number of cards requested. "Anyway, that's not what I need him for! I have to thank you, Queen! Without your help, this victory wouldn't be possible!" In the back of Achan's mind, he dimly realized he was trash-talking. Maybe this was a by-product of the high he was still riding?

He pointed into the air as the lights above the arena caught the lenses of his goggles, causing them to shine in an appropriately dramatic fashion. "I tune my level four Wandering Synchron to my level four Wandering Shinobi and my level one Wandering Synthesist!"

The synthesist chirped as it exploded into a single star, while Wandering Synchron released its four gleaming gates. Wandering Shinobi disappeared as she back-flipped into the center of the column, leaving four stars behind. Achan chanted. "Noble king of the ancient gods, please, lend me your blade! Synchro summon!"

The column of light normally formed during a synchro summon transformed, changing into a massive raincloud. Behind Achan, a small mountain of earth slowly rose up. A single bolt of lightning revealed the image of a warrior on horseback standing at the mountain's peak. The rider's skin was a pale green, and one of its eyes was completely dimmed over and covered with a film of white. Two large horns grew from its head. Light glinted from the warrior's silver armor as his horse reared and leaped from the top of the mountain, and Achan finished his chant. "Strike them all down, Wandering Eon- Odin!" (2900/2000)

Queen stared at the synchro monster. "So, is this a show of your pride as an archetype- duelist, then?"

Achan wagged a finger at his opponent. "This is my pride as a duelist, period! I'll show you Odin's true power!" he revealed a single card in his hand. "I'll equip Odin with the spell card, United We Stand! By this card's effect, Odin's attack points will increase by eight hundred for each monster I control including Odin itself!" A pair of golden gauntlets appeared on the warrior's fists, shining with energy. (2900 + 2400= 5300 Atk)

"WHAT'S THIS? WHY IS SMITH POWERING UP HIS MONSTER, EVEN THOUGH HIS OPPONENT STILL HAS AN ARRAY OF DEFENSIVE SHIELDS?"

Dimly, Achan remembered that Tacey had rehearsed this bit with him very quickly when she had outlined his game plan. His win was secure- all he had to do was make three attacks in the correct order. "Wandering Eon- Odin will use its monster effect to attack directly!" he shouted.

Queen raised an eyebrow, unimpressed even as the warrior god raised a keen-edged blade over his head and his mount reared back before charging forward at a gallop. "Even with that many attack points, boy, a direct attack won't-"

"Odin's second monster effect activates!" Achan shouted, cutting her off. "When it attacks directly, I can choose to either raise its attack points by four hundred for each set card on the field or to send every set monster my opponent controls to the graveyard, and I choose the second one! Go, Odin- Steel-Bladed Sword!"

The warrior god swept his blade through the air as he rode toward Queen, unperturbed by the horizontal card backs blocking his approach. The moment the edge of the blade passed, each of the set cards split exactly in half before vanishing into the air.

Queen didn't flinch as the attack struck, and stood her ground even as she realized her inevitable defeat. "I…" She searched for something appropriate to say in response to what had just happened, and finally settled on "Well played, boy." (LP: 9100- 5300= 3800)

"Wandering Beast, your turn next!" Achan shouted as the red-furred monster leapt into the air. "Attack directly with Sled Fang!" As the monster dashed forward, its attack points shot up. (3000/1200)

Queen deflected the attack with her duel disk. (LP: 3800- 3000= 800)

Achan felt his euphoria soar into uncharted territory. "Wandering Hero, finish this! BRAVER!"

The warrior leapt into the air, a massive sword magically forming in his hands. He brought the blade down. Ella Queen bowed her head as a gesture of respect. "Not bad at all, boy. Your cards, at the least, are strong." (LP: 1200- 1700= 0)

"It's not just my cards!" Achan snapped in response as he pointed to his new headgear. "As long as I have this burning soul, I can beat anyone!" It was an odd thing to say, in retrospect, but it sounded cool and Kaito would probably have approved had he been present.

"THIS IS A MIRACLE! SMITH'S GOGGLES AND HIS BURNING SOULS HAVE CARRIED THIS ROOKIE TO HIS SECOND STRAIGHT PRO LEAGUE VICTORY!"

The announcer continued to roar congratulations as Achan stepped back from the arena.

He had won. And he had actually played out the final move this time.

Okay, so yes, Tacey had helped him plan out every step of it. And yes, the whole plan had kind of hinged on her giving him some favorable draws. And yes, maybe if she hadn't helped he would've been staring at a potentially-hopeless situation. But still, it was a win, right? And he had looked cool doing it, right? That was a lot better than last time.

Wheels was waiting for him. "How in the hell did you pull that off?"

Achan laughed nervously, feeling a bit of his euphoria drain away. "Um, er, my goggles and burning soul?"

Wheels glared at Bernard. "This is because of the supernatural bullshit, isn't it?"

Bernard shook his head. "I'm an angel and a duelist, not a mind reader. You'll have to question the boy himself. However, I believe in your situation it would be prudent not to look a gift horse in-"

"Save it," Wheels snapped. "Save it until later. Then we'll talk about it. Right now, you've got a match to play."

Bernard bowed and nodded. "I'll do my best to preserve this team's honor," he said as he slipped out from the hall.

Wheels returned to glaring at Achan. "Right. Explain it. You have five seconds."

"Um, well…" Achan paused, unsure of himself, and launched into an explanation. "Well I went inside my own head and there was this girl that I made a promise to who helped me and a guy who was my fairy godmother and he gave me these goggles and I'm not quite sure of why and-"

Wheels gave him a death glare that caused him to close his mouth instantly. "…Kid. Go lie down for about five minutes until your brain starts working again. You can explain after that."

"But I-" Achan began to protest.

"When I say go I mean go, goddammit!"

Achan scurried down the hallway without another word.

Rachel glanced at Wheels as the teenage duelist left. "You're pissed, but it's not at him."

The wheelchair-bound duelist gritted her teeth. "Damn right I'm pissed. Where the hell is that goddam cub? We're already into our second match, he should be here by now. And if Smith's right, he just went running off wherever the hell he wants. You don't do that in the pro leagues. You get to your goddam matches on time. You can't treat this like it's just a game and turn up whenever the hell you want!"

"You could put him in his place," Rachel suggested innocently.

Wheels blinked in surprise, and then stared at Rachel with admiration. "I love the way you think."

"Of course, an idiot like Shishio who only has one thing on his mind…" Rachel let her voice trail off as her lips curled into a smile.

"This is going to be so satisfying," Wheels replied, mirroring the grin.

In the back of the hallway, Cole watched the two and seethed. Shishio… where the hell are you?

-New Fake Cards Played-

Faust-

Hell Skull Biker

Monster/FIRE/Zombie/5*

Atk 2100/Def 1700

You can normal summon this card without tribute by removing a level three or lower zombie-type monster in your graveyard from play. When this card destroys an opponent's monster as a result of battle, inflict 500 points of damage to their life points. (Note- this card based on another tweaked design from Lux-Nero. I lost the original document with this card, so I can't even actually remember if I tweaked its effect significantly)

Wicked Judgment- Ammut

Monster/DARK/Zombie/Synchro/10*

Atk 2500/Def 2000

"1 Zombie-type tuner monster + 2 or more non-tuner monsters"

When a monster is removed from play by this card's effect, increase this card's Atk by 300. When this card is synchro summoned, remove all monsters in your graveyard from play. While this card is face-up on the field, monsters that would be sent to the graveyard are removed from play instead.

Achan-

Wandering Synthesist

Monster/LIGHT/Spellcaster/1*

Atk 500/Def 500

Once per turn, while you control this face-up attack position card, you can shuffle any number of "Limit Break" spell cards from your hand into your deck and then draw that same number of cards.

Wandering Eon- Odin

Monster/WIND/Warrior/Synchro/9*

Atk 2900/Def 2000

"1 'Wandering' tuner monster + 2 or more non-tuner monsters"

During the end phase of a turn that this monster attacked or was attacked, return it to the extra deck. When this card attacks, it attacks your opponent's life points directly. When this card declares an attack, select one of the following effects and activate it:

-Increase this card's Atk by 400 for each set card on the field.

-Send all set monsters your opponent controls to the graveyard. (Thanks once again to Aea/Comedy of Circumstances for contributing Achan's extra deck.)